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sammerp219's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deportation
mycatmycatandme's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I want to give both Ander and Santi a hug, and I want to buy prints of Ander’s art. I want to eat food from Lupe’s and have a dad like Pa and dance with Tita and volunteer with Juni and join a march with Zeke.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deportation
Minor: Homophobia
alexflynn's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is one of the most heartfelt stories I’ve ever read. Incredible nonbinary, queer, and Mexican-American representation. You’ll laugh and cry as you experience the main character (and their love interest) find bittersweet belonging. My teenage self desperately needed to read this!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deportation
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Death
gdulecki's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
merry Christmas to ME because I gifted myself the time to read this from cover to cover in one sitting after the festivities died down :’) this was so tender and heartwarming and I loved it. I had tears in my eyes as I finished the story, and my heart was so full in the epilogue. God bless gay people 🙏🏻
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Grief, and Deportation
Moderate: Death of parent
terranstorm's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Ander and Santi are precious. It’s hard to feel like it really works out like that in the end (was the ending too optimistic to be realistic?) but I think it walked that line of Ander making the big choice, their risk-it-all optimism, without being to saccharine or magicking away the injustice of the immigration system and everything they fought for. A really heartfelt story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deportation
Moderate: Confinement, Racism, Police brutality, and Death of parent
still_percy22's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Deportation
avisreadsandreads's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Confinement, Drug use, Racism, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, and Deportation
Minor: Vomit, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
myweirdnormal's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I should have known this would be heart wrenching, but I’m glad it’s also a sweet ending. I did do a tiny sob in my car in the bookstore parking lot and later in my job’s break room for the last two hours of the audiobook. But it’s a beautiful fucking book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia and Deportation
corsetedfeminist's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The way this book made my heart pound and then just shattered it into a million pieces and then put it all back together again….
This book combines two basic concepts at the same time: a very sweet gay romance between a pair of Mexican kids, one of them nonbinary. And a very pointed discussion of immigration racism, and the intersection between queerness and our main character’s Mexican culture. It manages to carry both sides of the plot extremely well- the romance is very soft and tender and believable, the main characters act like real teenagers, and the discussion on race is piercing. And as it should be, ICE is the actual worst and the ongoing fear of Santi being arrested by them is genuinely heartrending.
Ander is the best. They’re deeply queer and deeply Mexican, with a profound love for their family and art. The journey of trying to work out for themself what it means to be queer and Mexican and an artist is profoundly well handled- there’s a delightful moment where they essentially flip off their racist advisor for fancy art school that made me want to cheer.
Santi is deeply human in a way that is crucial for an undocumented worker. His trauma is clearly there, but it isn’t fetishized. He’s allowed to just be a teenage boy who loves his boyfriend and loves to read and eats a terrifying amount of food and just wants to help his family.
I think this is an incredibly important book in the current cultural landscape, because while the romance is firmly YA, the issues of race and immigration are handled expertly in a way that destroys political talking points to focus on the humanity of the people involved. It would be fantastic to start a conversation with a teenager on these subjects while still challenging adults and our preconceived notions.
This book combines two basic concepts at the same time: a very sweet gay romance between a pair of Mexican kids, one of them nonbinary. And a very pointed discussion of immigration racism, and the intersection between queerness and our main character’s Mexican culture. It manages to carry both sides of the plot extremely well- the romance is very soft and tender and believable, the main characters act like real teenagers, and the discussion on race is piercing. And as it should be, ICE is the actual worst and the ongoing fear of Santi being arrested by them is genuinely heartrending.
Ander is the best. They’re deeply queer and deeply Mexican, with a profound love for their family and art. The journey of trying to work out for themself what it means to be queer and Mexican and an artist is profoundly well handled- there’s a delightful moment where they essentially flip off their racist advisor for fancy art school that made me want to cheer.
Santi is deeply human in a way that is crucial for an undocumented worker. His trauma is clearly there, but it isn’t fetishized. He’s allowed to just be a teenage boy who loves his boyfriend and loves to read and eats a terrifying amount of food and just wants to help his family.
I think this is an incredibly important book in the current cultural landscape, because while the romance is firmly YA, the issues of race and immigration are handled expertly in a way that destroys political talking points to focus on the humanity of the people involved. It would be fantastic to start a conversation with a teenager on these subjects while still challenging adults and our preconceived notions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Deportation
atreegrowsinbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Wow another great book by Jonny Garza Villa! I really enjoyed have a book centered on a non-binary Latinx teen and his family, and boyfriend. However, the pacing of this was slightly annoying. The beginning and ending of this book were a good pace, even slightly fast, while the middle felt super slow.
It was so sad and infuriating to read about the interactions with ICE and how for some folks this is a daily thought and something to always consider when just trying to live. I really appreciate Ander's family and the way that Villa portrayed the closeness and acceptance. And I just loved Santi so much. The heart that these two have made me love them so.
I would recommend this, but def read the content warnings because this was intense.
It was so sad and infuriating to read about the interactions with ICE and how for some folks this is a daily thought and something to always consider when just trying to live. I really appreciate Ander's family and the way that Villa portrayed the closeness and acceptance. And I just loved Santi so much. The heart that these two have made me love them so.
I would recommend this, but def read the content warnings because this was intense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality and Deportation
Minor: Trafficking and Kidnapping